Mikhail Kosiborod1, Henrik S Rasmussen2, Philip Lavin3, Wajeh Y Qunibi4, Bruce Spinowitz5, David Packham6, Simon D Roger7, Alex Yang8, Edgar Lerma9, Bhupinder Singh2. 1. Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri2University of Missouri-Kansas City. 2. ZS Pharma, Coppell, Texas. 3. Boston Biostatistics Research Foundation, Framingham, Massachusetts. 4. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. 5. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York. 6. Melbourne Renal Research Group and Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. 7. Renal Research, Gosford, Australia. 8. Xelay Acumen, Belmont, California. 9. University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago11Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte abnormality that may be difficult to manage because of a lack of effective therapies. Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate is a nonabsorbed cation exchanger that selectively binds potassium in the intestine. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of zirconium cyclosilicate for 28 days in patients with hyperkalemia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: HARMONIZE was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating zirconium cyclosilicate in outpatients with hyperkalemia (serum potassium ≥5.1 mEq/L) recruited from 44 sites in the United States, Australia, and South Africa (March-August 2014). INTERVENTIONS: Patients (n = 258) received 10 g of zirconium cyclosilicate 3 times daily in the initial 48-hour open-label phase. Patients (n = 237) achieving normokalemia (3.5-5.0 mEq/L) were then randomized to receive zirconium cyclosilicate, 5 g (n = 45 patients), 10 g (n = 51), or 15 g (n = 56), or placebo (n = 85) daily for 28 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was mean serum potassium level in each zirconium cyclosilicate group vs placebo during days 8-29 of the randomized phase. RESULTS: In the open-label phase, serum potassium levels declined from 5.6 mEq/L at baseline to 4.5 mEq/L at 48 hours. Median time to normalization was 2.2 hours, with 84% of patients (95% CI, 79%-88%) achieving normokalemia by 24 hours and 98% (95% CI, 96%-99%) by 48 hours. In the randomized phase, serum potassium was significantly lower during days 8-29 with all 3 zirconium cyclosilicate doses vs placebo (4.8 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.6-4.9], 4.5 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.4-4.6], and 4.4 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.3-4.5] for 5 g, 10 g, and 15 g; 5.1 mEq/L [95% CI, 5.0-5.2] for placebo; P < .001 for all comparisons). The proportion of patients with mean potassium <5.1 mEq/L during days 8-29 was significantly higher in all zirconium cyclosilicate groups vs placebo (36/45 [80%], 45/50 [90%], and 51/54 [94%] for the 5-g, 10-g, and 15-g groups, vs 38/82 [46%] with placebo; P < .001 for each dose vs placebo). Adverse events were comparable between zirconium cyclosilicate and placebo, although edema was more common in the 15-g group (edema incidence: 2/85 [2%], 1/45 [2%], 3/51 [6%], and 8/56 [14%] patients in the placebo, 5-g, 10-g, and 15-g groups). Hypokalemia developed in 5/51 (10%) and 6/56 patients (11%) in the 10-g and 15-g zirconium cyclosilicate groups, vs none in the 5-g or placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among outpatients with hyperkalemia, open-label sodium zirconium cyclosilicate reduced serum potassium to normal levels within 48 hours; compared with placebo, all 3 doses of zirconium cyclosilicate resulted in lower potassium levels and a higher proportion of patients with normal potassium levels for up to 28 days. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zirconium cyclosilicate beyond 4 weeks and to assess long-term clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02088073.
IMPORTANCE: Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte abnormality that may be difficult to manage because of a lack of effective therapies. Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate is a nonabsorbed cation exchanger that selectively binds potassium in the intestine. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of zirconium cyclosilicate for 28 days in patients with hyperkalemia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: HARMONIZE was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating zirconium cyclosilicate in outpatients with hyperkalemia (serum potassium ≥5.1 mEq/L) recruited from 44 sites in the United States, Australia, and South Africa (March-August 2014). INTERVENTIONS: Patients (n = 258) received 10 g of zirconium cyclosilicate 3 times daily in the initial 48-hour open-label phase. Patients (n = 237) achieving normokalemia (3.5-5.0 mEq/L) were then randomized to receive zirconium cyclosilicate, 5 g (n = 45 patients), 10 g (n = 51), or 15 g (n = 56), or placebo (n = 85) daily for 28 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was mean serum potassium level in each zirconium cyclosilicate group vs placebo during days 8-29 of the randomized phase. RESULTS: In the open-label phase, serum potassium levels declined from 5.6 mEq/L at baseline to 4.5 mEq/L at 48 hours. Median time to normalization was 2.2 hours, with 84% of patients (95% CI, 79%-88%) achieving normokalemia by 24 hours and 98% (95% CI, 96%-99%) by 48 hours. In the randomized phase, serum potassium was significantly lower during days 8-29 with all 3 zirconium cyclosilicate doses vs placebo (4.8 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.6-4.9], 4.5 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.4-4.6], and 4.4 mEq/L [95% CI, 4.3-4.5] for 5 g, 10 g, and 15 g; 5.1 mEq/L [95% CI, 5.0-5.2] for placebo; P < .001 for all comparisons). The proportion of patients with mean potassium <5.1 mEq/L during days 8-29 was significantly higher in all zirconium cyclosilicate groups vs placebo (36/45 [80%], 45/50 [90%], and 51/54 [94%] for the 5-g, 10-g, and 15-g groups, vs 38/82 [46%] with placebo; P < .001 for each dose vs placebo). Adverse events were comparable between zirconium cyclosilicate and placebo, although edema was more common in the 15-g group (edema incidence: 2/85 [2%], 1/45 [2%], 3/51 [6%], and 8/56 [14%] patients in the placebo, 5-g, 10-g, and 15-g groups). Hypokalemia developed in 5/51 (10%) and 6/56 patients (11%) in the 10-g and 15-g zirconium cyclosilicate groups, vs none in the 5-g or placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among outpatients with hyperkalemia, open-label sodium zirconium cyclosilicate reduced serum potassium to normal levels within 48 hours; compared with placebo, all 3 doses of zirconium cyclosilicate resulted in lower potassium levels and a higher proportion of patients with normal potassium levels for up to 28 days. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zirconium cyclosilicate beyond 4 weeks and to assess long-term clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02088073.
Authors: Allan J Collins; Bertram Pitt; Nancy Reaven; Susan Funk; Karen McGaughey; Daniel Wilson; David A Bushinsky Journal: Am J Nephrol Date: 2017-09-02 Impact factor: 3.754
Authors: Csaba P Kovesdy; Kunihiro Matsushita; Yingying Sang; Nigel J Brunskill; Juan J Carrero; Gabriel Chodick; Takeshi Hasegawa; Hiddo L Heerspink; Atsushi Hirayama; Gijs W D Landman; Adeera Levin; Dorothea Nitsch; David C Wheeler; Josef Coresh; Stein I Hallan; Varda Shalev; Morgan E Grams Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2018-05-01 Impact factor: 29.983